Winds of Sand
by Zammie4eva
Summary: naruto and gaara meet once as children, but will they rcognise each other four years later? implied narugaa
1. Chapter 1

Winds of Sand _Why do they run from me?_

Eight-year-old Sabaku no Gaara sat on a wing tied to a tree outside a big building he assumed was a Ninja Academy, his eyes closed.

He had no idea how he'd gotten where he now sat. One moment he was in the Sand, overhearing a conversation about him between his father and his siblings.

It wasn't a pretty conversation. Then the next time he opened his eyes he was in a strange place.

This village was also a Ninja Village, but no one here knew who he was, so he'd stayed.

He had wandered to the swing he now sat at, wondering what to do next.

"Who're you?" came a voice.

Gaara frowned and opened his eyes. A blonde boy around his age stood there, looking curious.

"None of your business." Came the automatic reply.

The blonde teared up for a moment, they blinked an it was gone.

"Well, whoever you are, that's my swing." The boy continued.

Gaara frowned further. "I don't care, I got here first."

The blonde boy glared this time. "Look here buddy, I don't know who you think you are, but that is _my _swing and you get the hell off it!" he suddenly shouted.

Gaara's raised his non-existent eyebrows. No one had ever used that tone with him before. It was unusual to Gaara.

Gaara slowly smirked dangerously. "You don't know who I am do you?" he growled.

Naruto glared back unflinchingly. "No I don't, and I don't care much anymore either." He spat.

"My name is Sabaku no Gaara, I house the demon Shukaku within me, I could kill you three times before you hit the ground, shouting at me is not he wisest thing to do." Gaara said.

Naruto blinked.

_Finally, _Gaara thought, _he's getting scared now._

…_wait, I don't want him to be afraid of me too, oh why did I say that?_

But the blonde stayed where he was. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto, wanna play?"

Gaara blinked in confusion.

"Play…with you?" he asked.

"Sure! I like you, let's play tag!" Naruto smiled.

Gaara felt a strange bubbling feeling in his stomach at that smile. No one had ever smiled at him before.

"O-Okay," he said.

"Great! You're it!" Naruto giggled running off.

Gaara used his sand to trip the blonde. "I win," he said.

"Hey that's not fair!" Naruto said unhappily. Gaara blinked.

"It's not?" he questioned.

"No, you can't use that weird sand jutsu to tag me, you have to tag me yourself, start again!" Naruto said.

Naruto ran off again, and this time Gaara ran after him.

Gaara followed Naruto as he ducked under tree branches and through streets, he was just about to tag him when – WHAM!

Naruto ran into someone and fell to the ground, Gaara stopping a little ways behind him warily.

The man he ran into looked down and his face crinkled in disgust.

"What're you doing here monster? Get out of here you – you freak!" he shouted.

Gaara looked from the man to the boy, and blinked slowly. _Monster? Freak? _

He knew what it was like to be called those words, but why was Naruto…?

"S-sorry about that I wasn't looking," Naruto stammered getting to his shaky feet.

"Yeah, yeah whatever, just get out of my sight demon!"

Gaara glared. _Demon? How _dare_ he call Naruto that!_

"Hey I said I was sorry mister!" Naruto defended himself.

"Oh now you're giving me cheek huh? Why I oughta –" the man went to hit Naruto, but Gaara's sand caught his wrist.

"If you so much as touch him, I will not hesitate in killing you," Gaara threatened calmly.

Naruto's eyes widened.

"You – you're like him! A demon! Freak!" the man stammered.

The sand crept up the man's body slowly. "Call me what you will, but insult Naruto once more and I will show no mercy," Gaara said.

"No Gaara don't!" Naruto cried.

Gaara snapped out of his bloodlust and looked at Naruto. "What? Why? He hurt you," he said.

"It's okay, it's okay Gaara really, you don't have to kill him. Please don't kill him," Naruto pleaded.

After a while, Gaara's sands retreated. "Alright Naruto,"

The man, after glaring at both boys, stumbled away.

"Thanks for that Gaara, but…try not to hurt anybody okay?" Naruto said.

Gaara looked down, ashamed of himself. "I'm sorry." He said.

"Aw that's fine, no harm done after all. Come with me I'll treat you to ramen!" Naruto said tugging on Gaara's wrist.

Gaara let himself be pulled along and soon found himself standing in front of a ramen stand.

"This is Ichiraku's, the best ramen place in the whole world!" Naruto announced.

They ordered two bowls of miso ramen, and Gaara found ramen to be quite good.

"See? I told you it was the best," Naruto boasted as they walked around the village.

Gaara smiled a small smile. "It was good. Thankyou," he said.

"It's okay, I'm just happy to have someone to eat ramen with besides Iruka-sensei, that's my teacher, he's a nice guy, he'd like you," Naruto chatted.

"…I wish I had someone like that. My uncle, Yashamaru, tried to kill me last year, but he said that he loved me," Gaara said.

"Really? That's terrible!" Naruto cried.

"Yeah…you won't leave me, will you Naruto?"

"What? Of course not! We're friends, I'd never leave you alone Gaara," Naruto promised.

Suddenly five ANBU Black Ops appeared and grabbed little Naruto by the wrists.

"Hey let me go!" Naruto shouted.

"Sabaku no Gaara, you are hereby ordered by the Hokage to return to your village, if you resist, we will be forced to use drastic measures." The ANBU said.

Gaara glared. "By drastic you mean…?"

The ANBU tightened his grip on Naruto, who gave a shout of pain.

Gaara grit his teeth, without warning his sand shot out and surrounded the ANBU. "You're going to regret doing that," he snarled.

Naruto looked at Gaara. "Gaara…please do as they say," _I don't want you getting hurt._

Gaara blinked as Naruto's earlier words came back to haunt him.

Try not to hurt anybody okay?

Gaara controlled his sand and the ANBU holding Naruto looked at the red-haired boy.

"If I go, will you let him go?" Gaara asked.

"Indeed." The ANBU said.

Gaara took a deep breath. "Do you want me to go?" he asked Naruto.

"You have to go." Naruto said, avoiding the actual question.

That hurt. "Then I will go."

In a swirl of sand the child was gone. The ANBU let go of Naruto and left too.

"Gaara!" Naruto ran all over the village in case he was just hiding, but his friend was indeed gone.

In the end, Naruto wandered back to his swing, sitting down on it he cried at the lose of his new friend. "Gaara…I didn't want you to leave," he sobbed.

He wouldn't see Gaara again for another four years, and this time, they would be enemies.

**The end. **


	2. Chapter 2

Part two

Something's different about Gaara, why's he acting so strange all of a sudden? It's only another ninja village. Kankuro thought.

The three Sand ninja walked through the gates of Konoha, and Kankuro could have sworn he saw Gaara shiver. How come?

"Stop looking at me." came the cold voice of Kankuro's younger brother.

"S-Sorry," the elder stammered looking away.

Temari sighed. It was always the same with Gaara. "I'm gonna go found out where we get our passes from," she said wandering off.

"This stupid Chuunin Exam is gonna suck," Kankuro complained.

"Quit complaining, we're here on a mission," Gaara snapped.

Kankuro said nothing as Gaara wandered off to scout the layout of the village.

Temari came back with their passes and the two stood there waiting for the return of Gaara.

After a while Gaara returned to his siblings, but he heard shouting.

Great, you can bet Kankuro started something with the Leaf ninja, moron. Gaara thought.

**You should kill him. **Shukaku suggested.

I can't do that I keep telling you, now shut up and leave me alone, Gaara slammed down his mental shield and continued on his way.

He settled himself in a tree overlooking the scene. He grimaced. His siblings were idiots.

"Cut it out Kankuro," he said standing upside down on the branch of the tree. "You're a disgrace to our village you moron,"

Kankuro and Temari looked up fearfully. "O-Oh, yeah r-right, I was totally out of line, s-sorry," Kankuro stuttered.

Gaara rolled his eyes, "Whatever." He said.

Then his eyes surveyed the Leaf ninja staring at him, even more fearfully than his siblings.

His gaze fell on shocking yellow hair and blue eyes, they reminded him of someone, but who…

The blonde's eyes widened and he gasped. He companion, a dark-haired teen, looked at him curiously.

"Gaara…that you?" the blonde said.

Temari and Kankuro's gaze snapped to the genin. He knew Gaara? How?

They looked back at Gaara, who's facial expression hadn't changed.

"Very good, you know my name." Gaara jumped down from the tree. "Not many do and live," he said coldly.

The blonde blinked. This couldn't be his Gaara…his Gaara wasn't like this guy…and yet the hair, the eyes, hell the damn gourd! It had to be him.

Gaara looked at his siblings. "Let's go."

They left without another word.

"You know that guy?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto shook his head. "I don't know…I thought…but no it couldn't have been," he rambled.

Naruto wandered off back to his apartment in a daze.

It had been him hadn't it? They looked the same…

Meanwhile Gaara had ditched his siblings, following the blonde with curiosity.

How had the loud-mouth known his name?

He did seem familiar, but where…

Then it hit him. No one could mistake those whiskered cheeks. It was him. The blonde boy from the Leaf, it hadn't been in his head after all.

"Naruto." The blonde stopped at his name and Gaara knew it was him.

The whiskered boy looked around and found Gaara on top of a wall.

"It was you." He said.

Gaara jumped down to Naruto. "You haven't changed much," he said.

"Whadda mean? I'm way taller, hell I'm even taller than you!" Naruto laughed.

Gaara frowned. "So you are. That's hardly fair I'm older than you,"

Naruto chuckled.

"I have to go," Gaara said turning away.

"What? But Gaara you just got here – come to Ichiraku with me, you said it was good last time you were here," Naruto said.

"I'm sorry Naruto, but four years is a long time…I'm different now. I have to go." Gaara left him then without another word.

Naruto discovered how different Gaara was when he battled Lee in the preliminary rounds.

As Lee screamed in agony as Gaara's sand crushed his limbs and Gai-sensei intervened, Naruto felt his blood boiling.

This couldn't be his Gaara.

With an angry yell Naruto leapt from the sidelines and landed in front of the sand nin. The whole arena was silent, fearing what would happen next.

"What is with you? What happened to you? You never used to be like this Gaara!" Naruto shouted.

"How do you know? You only met me once, and even then you didn't know me! Like I care what you think anyway!" Gaara shouted back.

He wanted nothing more to do with Naruto, that had been fours years ago, it was in the past, he was different now, so much different…

Gaara wouldn't let those blue eyes suck him in again.

"Gaara you know I know you, I know you better than you do, now what the hell is wrong with you!" Naruto shouted.

"Know me? know me? you left me! you told me you wouldn't but you left me not five minutes later!"

"As I recall, you're the one who left Mr. Overreactor!" Naruto retorted.

"I had to, they would have killed you!" Gaara snapped.

"Well I never wanted you to go!"

"Why didn't you say that you idiot!"

"Don't call me that!"

"Well you are an idiot!"

Naruto threw a punch that hit Gaara right in the jaw, bypassing all of his defences.

The crowd watching, though confused by the exchange, gasped as Naruto landed a blow on Gaara.

"You selfish jerk! Why did I even talk to you before?" Naruto yelled.

Gaara got to his feet.

"Don't act like you've been there with me the whole time because you haven't!" he shouted.

"That's not my fault!"

"It's not mine either!"

"Now, now boys calm down, calm down!" the teachers carted the ninja off to separate corners of the arena, where they glared at each other.

"Stupid jerk, thinks he's all high-and-mighty. Oh poor Gaara, everyone leaves Gaara, well maybe that's a good thing," Naruto muttered to himself.

Gaara heard his words and fought back tears. Oh get a grip Gaara, why do you even care?

Naruto turned back to see tears in Gaara's eyes before he moved off next to his bewildered siblings.

He felt a pang of guilt hit him.

After the preliminary rounds were over, Naruto found Gaara on the roof of his apartment.

"Hey." He said.

Gaara stiffened. "Hi."

"I'm sorry."

Gaara snorted, "Sure. Shouldn't you be with your friends?" he said bitterly.

"I don't have friends." Naruto retorted a little snappishly.

Gaara blinked and turned back to him. "Oh. I'm sorry." He said.

Naruto waved it away. "S'okay. Let's not fight anymore okay?"

"…Yeah, okay." Gaara smiled and allowed Naruto to sit next to him.

When they parted ways, neither knew that the next time they saw each other, they'd have to fight to the death as Gaara's demon took hold.

But until then it didn't matter, they were friends again, and that's all the mattered.

**O.o I guess that's it! Maybe I should continue this into Shippuden…what do you think? **


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay due to popular demand I have extended this fic into Shippuden! Now I've made it that the Akatsuki don't come for Gaara in this, Naruto's just come to Suna on a mission.**

"Calm down Naruto, it's just another ninja village," Sakura said tiredly to her excited team mate.

"Yeah but I've never been to the Sand Village before!" Naruto cried.

"You mean after all these years, Jiraiya-sama never took you to Sunagakure?" Sai asked in disbelief.

"Nope. Not once, I've always wondered why. But now I get to see it, I'm really excited!" Naruto said.

Sakura sighed. _Where does he get all that energy? _She wondered. _I guess some things never change._

The three entered the Sand Village, nodding to the ninja who stood guard by the gates.

"Okay, so our mission is to assist the Kazekage in the education of the young genin here. They've adopted our education system, and we're here to help teach them," Sakura said.

"Teach? Me?" Naruto said sceptically. "Well I'll give a try I suppose."

"Ah well there's the Kazekage now talking to Baki-sensei," Sakura said pointing.

Naruto turned to where she was pointing and the first thing he saw was shocking red hair.

He looked so familiar, but where…?

And then it hit him. That gourd, those eyes, that pale skin, there was no doubt about it.

"GAARA!" He shouted.

The redhead froze and turned on the spot to to the voice that had addressed him.

That blonde hair, those blue eyes…could that really be…?

"Naruto?" he said.

Naruto grinned. "You remembered me!" he cried.

The blonde ran up to Gaara and practically tackled him in a hug. "Naruto, can't breathe." Gaara reminded him.

"Oh, sorry." Naruto grinned sheepishly and let go.

Gaara smiled. "It's good to see you. Where have you been? I've been in Konoha a few times but you've never been there," he said.

"Oh, I was training with Ero-sennin all over the place, I only just got back." Naruto explained.

"I see." Gaara replied.

"So, I can't believe you."

"How so?" Gaara raised a non-existent eyebrow.

"You're Kazekage! Damn you, I was supposed to be Hokage, but you made it before me!" Naruto cried. "I can't believe you did it before me,"

Gaara looked Naruto up and down as he was speaking, as if assessing him.

"Well, I bet you're still a lot stronger than me, especially if you've been training with Jiraiya-sama, don't feel bad about it," he said.

It was then he noticed Naruto was looking at him strangely.

"What?" he asked.

"You're still shorter than me!" Naruto laughed.

Gaara rolled his eyes. "Of course I am, but I'm still better-looking than you," he joked.

Naruto laughed. "Oh I beg to differ," he said. Then he looked at Gaara closer, "Actually that's probably true."

"Oh it is not." Gaara said beginning to walk away, motioning for Naruto to follow. He did.

"Are you kidding? Women always go weak in the knees for that cool elite type of guy. Like you. The strong silent ones. Not loudmouths like me," Naruto said.

"Really?" Gaara asked feigning interest. "Unfortunately I have little experience in that sort of thing,"

Naruto laughed. "Yeah, sometimes I think you've got it better with that ignorance,"

"Meaning?"

"Well…put it this way. If you know what the girls like, and know you're not like that, it makes you a little depressed to know that the girls won't like you, so it's better not to know at all." Naruto replied.

"Ah."

"But enough about me, how have you been?" Naruto asked.

"Well. I've missed you over the years," Gaara answered.

"You missed me? I'm surprised you even remembered me," Naruto said.

"How could I forget?" Gaara smiled.

Naruto grinned. "Aw quit it, you'll make me blush." He said.

"Then my work is complete." Gaara replied.

Naruto blushed.

**Awwww, okay there it is. Now everybody get off my back! ;) just kidding! Hope you enjoyed it.**


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